Diamonds replaced with pebbles by Raiders of the Lost Ark gang
Fake Russian investors used sleight of hand for £4.2million jewellery heist in Britain’s biggest theft
A GANG of confidence tricksters pulled off Britain’s biggest theft when they swapped £4.2 million worth of diamonds for worthless pebbles during a heist at a leading London jewellers, a court has heard.
Posing as wealthy Russian investors, the thieves arranged to buy seven gems, including a huge heart-shaped diamond valued at more than £2million, from the Boodles store in Mayfair.
But when a fake gem expert visited the store to examine the stones in 2016, she used sleight of hand to swap the diamonds for pebbles while the manager was distracted.
The international gang fled Britain before the theft was spotted and the diamonds have never been recovered.
Details of the audacious raid, which is thought to be Britain’s biggest theft, were revealed at Southwark Crown Court, where Mickael Jovanovic, 27, a gang member, was jailed for three years and eight months.
Philip Stott, prosecuting, described the theft as being “of the highest possible sophistication, planning, risk, and reward”.
The heist drew comparisons with a scene in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones steals a valuable golden idol by replacing it with a bag of sand. Mr Stott said the chain of events began in 2016 when Nicholas Wainwright, Boodles’ chairman, was invited to a meeting in Monaco by a group posing as wealthy Russians.
During the meeting he struck a deal to sell seven very expensive single diamonds, including a heart-shaped stone worth £2.2million, the court heard.
Mr Stott said: “Arrangements were made for a gemologist, instructed by the buyers to attend at the vendor’s London showroom. The gems were valued by her and immediately placed into a locked bag, which was retained by the sellers pending the transfer of funds.
“When the funds failed to materialise from the buyers the bag was opened.
“Inside, instead of the diamonds, were seven small pebbles. The diamonds had been stolen by the person posing as the gemologist for the buyers by sleight of hand.”
The court heard that Mr Wainwright and Boodles’ gemologist, Emma Barton, had met a woman, known as Anna, on March 10 2016. Posing as an expert valuer, she was shown into the basement of the store, where the diamonds were presented for her examination.
Mr Stott said: “Anna wrapped each diamond in pre-cut tissue paper and placed them inside opaque boxes she had brought along with her.
“When the examination was complete, the boxes were placed into a zipable purse-like bag. That was then padlocked shut.
“During the examination, at one point Mr Wainwright went upstairs to take a call from ‘Alexander’, the Russian purchaser. When he did so, ‘Anna’ placed the locked bag inside her handbag.”
Ms Barton explained she could not do that and so Anna placed the bag back on the counter. However, she had managed to replace it with a duplicate bag containing pebbles. Anna then left the store, and was joined by Jovanovic and another man, Christophe Stankovic, who had been loitering nearby.
They went to a pub near Victoria Station where they changed their clothes
‘When the funds failed to materialise from the buyers the bag was opened. Inside, instead of diamonds, were seven small pebbles’
and within three hours left the country.
Stankovic was caught and jailed in 2016. Jovanovic, was arrested in his native France in January and extradited. He admitted his role at a previous hearing. The rest of the gang, including Anna, remain at large.
Det Con William Man, of Scotland Yard, said: “They left behind a trail of evidence which led us to where they were staying, and the Citroen they had hired in Paris.” He added: “Whilst it has taken four years, this case does highlight that we won’t give up.”
The Hatton Garden heist and the Brink’s Mat raid were charged as other offences such as burglary and robbery.